-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Peter Trimble found his formula through trial and error . A design student at the University of Edinburgh , he was aiming to produce an artistic exhibition for a module on sustainability , when he stumbled on `` Dupe , '' a living alternative to concrete .

A lab technician introduced Trimble to Sporosarcina pasteurii , a bacterium with binding qualities , sometimes used to solidify soil to hold road signs in place . The student tested it with one of the world 's most abundant resources - sand . Pumping bacterial solution into a sand-filled mould , he added nutrients , urea derived from urine as fertilizer and calcium . After a year , and hundreds of failed experiments , this process manufactured a stool around 70 % the compression strength of concrete .

The process requires less than one-sixth of the energy used in concrete production , and is completely biodegradable . Crucially , Trimble believes his mechanism has the added benefit that it could be employed by anyone , anywhere .

`` Once you have the basic framework it should be transferable . Imagine a Tsunami-hit farm in Indonesia that is not getting supplies . You could use sand and bacteria on site , practically free , and have shelter housing that is far more permanent . ''

Trimble is working with NGOs to apply Dupe to Aboriginal settlements and insecure regions of Morocco . But while the applications are new and experimental , the concept of growing the material for our built environment is increasingly regarded as not merely interesting , but essential .

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , the construction industry accounts for 40 % of the world 's C02 emissions , 40 % of U.S. landfill and has been uniquely resistant to change . Concrete , bricks and cement have remained the dominant materials since the industrial revolution in the early 19th century , and as pressure mounts on resources and climate , scientists and architects are looking to the natural world for solutions .

Building bacteria

Bacteria have been at the center of alternative methods . North Carolina start-up Biomason is growing bricks on an industrial scale , cultivated from sand by microorganisms . The company has won major prizes and funding for the bricks , which will be used in a structure for the first time this year in a pedestrian walkway , ahead of building projects across the world .

Similar processes are being developed to build in the most challenging environments . British architects see an opportunity to cultivate new life in deserts , while NASA believe bacteria could allow the construction of bases on other planets without the headache of ferrying the material there .

While bacterial processes save heavily on carbon , there are concerns that by-products could be poisonous . But another living brick -- made from mushrooms -- has no such problems .

Functional fungus

New York firm Ecovative are producing materials that combine agricultural waste products such as corn stock with mushroom mycelium -- the roots of the vegetable . Over five days the mycelium binds the waste to create a block with a stronger compressive strength than concrete , with none of the heat or energy required by regular bricks .

The product is in commercial use for packaging , producing thousands of units a month , and the company is expanding into construction . Ecovative believe that in addition to being renewable and decomposable , natural properties give them a performance advantage .

`` It has great insulation properties '' , says Sam Harrington , Ecovative Director of Sustainability . `` A key benefit is flame resistance -- without adding any chemicals we were able to achieve a Class A fire rating '' .

There is scope for development . Mycelium effectively dies once its growth is complete , but Harrington is looking ahead to material that does not . `` We are exploring ideas of living materials , perhaps that are self-healing or respond to leaks with indicators . ''

Ecovative are in dialogue with major construction companies , and the material will soon be tested on a historic scale . A collaboration with architects The Living won the prestigious MOMA -LRB- Museum of Modern Art -RRB- PS-1 competition , and their creation will be installed in the museum courtyard this summer .

Growing for gold

`` Hy-Fi '' will be the largest ever grown structure , and first large building to claim zero carbon emissions . It will be formed of three 40-foot spiral towers constructed from the mushroom material , with varying properties of brick to maximise light and ventilation .

The material 's versatility offers unique design opportunities , says David Benjamin , lead architect of the project .

`` You can dial in almost any performance you want . You can mix and match a variety of properties such as water resistance or UV resistance , lightness or durability . You can grow the bricks in almost any shape ''

Benjamin says the bio-bricks could be made to last as long as traditional materials , but believes architecture must embrace temporary structures .

`` It 's essential to recognize that not all materials should last for centuries . A lot of the steel in our buildings will last longer than we need . Our idea is a building that be made locally and quickly , and then have a plan for when the life of the building is over . ''

Future applications would include pop-up stores , festival `` tents '' and emergency shelters , says Benjamin , but there are greater hopes for the material within the industry .

Stronger than concrete

`` I could imagine every structure you would built out of bricks '' , says Dirk Hebel , Assistant Professor of Architecture and Construction at the Future Cities Laboratory in Singapore . `` No high-rises , but smaller scale structures and houses . The material is stronger than concrete , with better insulation capacities '' .

The challenge will come in commercializing the products , Hebel feels . `` There is huge demand for alternative materials . The question is how easy it is to penetrate the existing market . This needs time and a couple of buildings to show the possibilities '' .

Stealing from nature

Another , more radical approach takes the material from nature but also allows it to build the structure . Michael Pawlyn , director of Exploration Architecture , is a leading figure in biomimicry , having previously applied natural processes to create man-made forests in England and the Sahara Desert . His latest project to grow a `` small venue for spoken word performances '' from undersea biorock was recently unveiled at the Architecture Foundation in London .

`` In biology , complex structures achieve resource efficiency by putting things in exactly the right place , which is very difficult with made materials '' , says Pawlyn . `` Our ways should deliver significant resource savings . ''

Drawing on the natural accumulation of coral reefs , his team would install a steel frame in the deep ocean and leave it to attract material . Growth would be focused on specific areas of need using an electrical current .

`` We 're interested in looking at its structural growth patterns . We have stress gauges on the structure to measure force in particular areas . If one is highly stressed , we can input more current so the rate of deposition matches the force . ''

Pawlyn believes the structure could be built within two years , for consideration at scale . As with Ecovative , a key challenge ahead is to integrate still-living material to allow intelligent biosensors that respond to the building occupants .

Innovators in this space acknowledge the ongoing barriers presented in an industry that has resisted modernization . But from rock to fungus , sand to space dust , the use of materials and processes designed by nature herself offer both a solution to the sustainability crisis , and a glimpse of our new built environment : clean , efficient , and alive .

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British student invented new process of growing building materials using bacteria and sand

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Other living bricks made of mushrooms are soon be widely tested by US architects

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New bio bricks offer flame , UV , and water resistance without adding any chemicals

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Their use can prove crucial for life in deserts or construction of bases on other planets